Update: I am just playing "Sonic Adventure 2 Battle" again.

This style of Sonic game translates really well, and I think it's because the levels are navigable at-speed. I think having small segments to explore, interspersed with "hold forward here" sections, is a really smart idea.

And that opening level really holds up as one of the best of all time. Sorry Doom E1M1, there's a reason you aren't an opening level so beloved that it's casually and consistently remade like Mario 1-1 or Green Hills.

The casual absurdity and destruction is fun. The game is so janky but so charming.